The present invention relates to machines for treating hollow bowl-shaped objects, especially for washing and/or otherwise cleaning kettles, buckets, pails or analogous containers. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in machines of the type wherein objects to be treated are introduced into the chamber of a housing and are treated by one or more rotating or otherwise moving implements (particularly brushes), normally in the presence of water or another liquid medium.
Swiss Pat. No. 541,365 discloses a machine for washing bowl-shaped objects wherein the housing contains a rotary cylindrical brush having a free end which is adjacent an opening serving for introduction of objects into and for removal of treated objects from the housing. A drawback of the patented machine is that the objects must be inserted and removed by hand. This is a tiresome procedure which takes up much time, especially if the objects are relatively heavy and bulky. The removal of treated objects is particularly cumbersome, especially if a treated object must be lifted and simultaneously removed from the housing by way of a relatively small opening.
Another drawback of presently known machines is that the cover or door which seals the opening during treatment (and/or the wall which is formed with such opening) must be provided with complex and costly elastic seals to prevent the escape of liquid which is admitted into the housing during treatment of objects by means of one or more brushes or analogous implements. The liquid often contains detergents or other chemicals which attack the material of the seals so that the seals must be inspected, repaired or replaced at frequent intervals. This, too, reduces the output of such machines and contributes to the maintenance cost.